Shelf for refrigerators.



No. 825,631. PATENTED JULY 10, 1906.

B. P. AGNEW. SHELF FOR RBPRIGERATORS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAY F. AGNENV, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO UNIOA STEEL SCREENCOMPANY, LTD., OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

SHELF FOR REFRIGERATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1906.

Application filed June 22,1904- Serial No. 213,690-

and useful Improvements in Shelves for Refri erators, Ovens, or theLike, of which the fol owing is a specification.

This invention relates to a rack or shelf for refri erators, ovens, andother compartments w erein the same might be used to advantage.

One object of the invention resides in the provision of an exceedinglysimple, economieal, light, rigid, durable, and efficient rack, shelf, orthe like for the purpose named.

Another object of the invention is to rovide one form of my improvedrack or s elf of a construction and arrangement wherein few parts arerequired and the use of separate clips or the like for securingintersecting elelcrllents or for any other purpose is obviate A stillfurther object of one form of my invention resides in the provision ofmeans to prevent the rack or shelf falling when partly Withdrawn fromits seat or rest.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the present invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, includingportions of the sides of a refrigerator compartment or oven,illustrating the position of my improved shelf or rack when partlywithdrawn therefrom. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of my improvedrack or shelf looking from the rear thereof; and Fig. 3 is a rear viewlooking from the rear of the refrigerator, oven, or the like.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, thereference characsingle wire, rod, or other suitable material bent orotherwise turned upon itself at intervals, as at 2 and 3, the portions 4of the wire between the bends being preferably straight or parallel.These bent or otherwise formed portions 2 and 3 lie in direct alinement,as shown, with the ends 5 and 6 of the wire, rod, or other element,forming the body portion 1, being directed toward each other upon oneand the same side of the rack or shelf.

opposite sides of the shelf. It will be observed that all the foregoingparts lie in a common plane.

Inasmuch as the body portion 1 of the rack" or shelf illustrated in theaccompanying drawings may be of very stiff wire or other suitablematerial, and since the bent portions 2and 3, forming the sides of therack or shelf, may rest upon the guides or supports 7 of therefrigerator, oven, or other compartment, it is obvious that the singlepiece of material forming said body portion may in itself efficientlyserve in the capacity of a rack, shelf, or the like without the use ofother elements. While I may secure the body portion 1 upon the crossbars or mem bers 8 and 9, of sheet metal or other suitable material,together with an intermediate bar or member 10 of like or othermaterial, as shown, it is to be understood that any number of the crossmembers or bars 8, 9, and 10 may be employed and that no matter Ifdesired, the ends 5 and 6 may terminate upon Whether one or more areemployed any disposition of the same with relation to the other elementsmay be made and that, if desired, the said members or bars may beentirely eliminated from the structure. It is to be still furtherunderstood that my improved shelf or rack may consist s lely of a singlepiece of wire or other suitab e mater1a As has been premised in theforegoing, it is contemplated in one form of the invention to secure.the body portion 1 to the bars or other members 8 and 9 without theemployment of separate clips or the like. Therefore attention is nowdirected to the accompanying drawings, wherein it Will be seen that aseries ofpairs of fingers 11 are formed in the upper edge of each crossbar or member by slitting or otherwise cutting into the members, the

ranged for direct alinement with relation one pair to another, and whenthe proper portion 4 of the body 1 and that the said bars or only thesupporting-guide, but the latter rack or shelf. "like 13 has the greaterportion of its length tions of the body portion 1 are arranged withrespect to the bars ormembers-that is to say, with each straight orparallel portion between alining pairs of fingersthe latter are thenbent or otherwise turned over, each finger of each pair toward itscompanion, thereby rigidly and otherwise highly satisfactorily securingthe body portion to the said bars or memberswithout the use of separateclips.'

It will be seen in the embodiment of one form of my invention I form thebars or members 8, 9, and 10 of such length as to extend beyond the rearparallel or straight porm mbers in the rear of said portion 4 are eachprovided with a pair of fingers 12 for the reception of a keeper bar,rod, wire, or the like 13, arranged preferably parallel with thestraight or parallel portions of the body 1. By reason of the fingers 12being preferably formed in the same manner as the fingers 11 it is to beunderstood that the kee er bar,

rod, wire, or the like is secured in t e same manner as the portion 4 ofthe body of the This keeper rod, wire, or the lying in a plane common tothe plane of the body portion of the shelf or rack; but reference to theaccompanying drawings will disclose that the same has its opposite endsbent or otherwise turneddownwardly, as at 14,

with the extremities 1 5 thereof turned parallel with but beneath themain portion thereof, and the body portion of the rack or shelf forminga supporting-guide or the like 16, the keeper and body portion formingnot also serving to prevent the rack or shelf falling when partlywithdrawn from the refrigerator, oven, or the like, as clearly shown inFig. 1 of the drawings. In other words, by reason of the pecuharformation of the extremities of the keeper rod, bar, or the like 13 andtheir disposition with relation to the body portion a combinedsupporting-guide and keeper is the result, the rack or shelf when partlywithdrawn falling to an inclined plane, causinga binding effect betweenthe extremities 15 and the adjacent parallel or straight portion 4 ofthe body, preventing the falling of the shelf from its extendedposition, as now well understood. It might be stated that the bar, rod,wire, or the like 13 is not absolutely essential to the shelf or rackand that, if desired, the cross bars or members 8, 9, and 10 may beterminated along the line a a, as shown in Fig. 2 of the accompanyingdrawings, entirely elimimating the keeper feature.-

Of course when the single piece of material is employed as a rack orshelf it is obportions of said body vious that clips are not needed,and, as has been disclosed, integral and not separate 1 clips arepreferably employed whenever it is desired to add cross-bars or otherelements to' the rack or shelf.

'It is to be understood that I do'not consider myself limited to thefield of use hereinbefore outlined, but that, as heretofore intimated,my improved shelf or rack may be well appropriated to use as a shelf orrack, readily connected up in any suitable manner. to stovepipes,boilers, ranges, or'other devices or the like, the main object of theinvention lying within the novel formation of my new and improved shelfor rack.

.I claim 1. A shelf or rack, including cross memsingle piece of materialbent upon itself to form a body portion, the body portion between thebends being arallel and arranged to register with pairs 0 said fingers,the latter being bent over corresponding parallel to secure the latterto the said cross member. l

3. A shelf or rack, including cross members, each having fingers formedinthe upper face thereof, and a' single piece of Wire forming a bodyportion, the fingers of said cross members belng bent over the wire tosecure the body and cross members together.

4. A shelf or rack, comprising cross mem- "bers, a single piece ofmaterial forming. a

body ortion, means integral with said members or securing the bodyportion thereto, and means cooperating with the body ortion to permit othe shelf or rack belng t1 ted in its extended position.

5. A shelf or rack, including cross members, a single piece of materialforming a body portion, means for securlng the body portion to the saidmembers, and means co- 0 erating with the body portion to permit of t eshelf or rack being tilted in its extended position.

6. A shelf or rack comprising a body portion made u of a single piece ofmaterial, and a cross-bar aving a series of pairs of bendable fingers,the fingers of each pair being bent toward each other over the bodyportion to secure the latter to the former.

. 7. A shelf or rack comprising a body portion, andcross-bars, eachcross-bar havinga 1 series of pairs of bendable fingers in its upperface, the fingers of each pair being bent toward each other over thebody portion to secure the latter to-the cross-bars.

8. A shelf or rack, comprising cross-bars, a body portion made up of asingle piece of wire, means integral with the bars for securing the bodyportion thereto, a keeper member connected to the said bars forcooperation with the body portion to permit of the shelf or rack beingtilted in its extended position, and means integral with the bars forsecuring the keeper member thereto.

9. A shelf or rack, comprising a body portion formed of a single pieceof material, cross-bars lying in contact with the body portion, andintegral bendable means formed with the cross-bars for securing the bodyand being tilted in its-extended position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RAY F. AGNEW. Witnesses: I

CHAS. E. TOWNSEND, JAMES M. ADAMS.

' gether, and means to permit the shelf or rack

